Unsavory Humans
by Octopus Guardian
Summary: As if zombies weren't bad enough, the L4D2 crew has to deal with not only the undead trying to rip them apart, but also the few survivors of the apocalypse that lead inhumane lives with a taste for human blood.


Though Nick wouldn't admit it, after the incident at the mall, he realized he was glad to have run into other people during the zombie outbreak. Sure, Ellis was really annoying and talked way too much, and maybe Coach told him what to do too many times for his taste. Rochelle was way too empathetic for someone in the middle of a world crisis, but even after all that, they had saved his hide and gotten him through some tough shit, and if they could still care about him even throughout all his bitchin', then they were probably the best allies he could trust.

Rochelle wasn't sure about the others when they all had gathered on the roof of the burning building, watching their escape leave without them. Ellis was friendly, but too talkative, and Nick was an asshole through and through. Coach seemed okay, but Rochelle had convinced herself that after they had reached the evacuation center at the mall, she wouldn't have to see any of them ever again.

Said journey to the mall changed her idea about that. Funnily enough, the gun store was the place where she felt like she finally got along with them. The best way they bonded was over a powerful weapon trained at a zombie's head, and even after all of Nick's complaining, Coach's strange tastes in entertainment and Ellis' weird stories, Rochelle felt closer to them all, felt that she could entrust her life with these idiots.

Coach didn't like Nick at first. Ellis was chatty and Rochelle had a bit of an attitude, but Nick seemed to go out of his way to get on his own nerves. When the group had reached the mall and again, no evacuation was present, Coach silently wondered how long they would have to endure each other before they either died or got rescued. After being cornered by a tank while getting a gas can for the stock car, Coach didn't think it would be very long. He finally got to like his new companions when Ellis and Rochelle shot the thing dead before it could land another blow on him and Nick was at his side, helping him up and using his own first aid kit on Coach instead. Smiling, Coach knew these were the kind of people he could get along with in due time.

Ellis was immediately fond of everyone as soon they met. Coach's demeanor, Rochelle's spirit and Nick's crude jokes (even if he himself was the butt of the joke sometimes) made them all seem like a match made in heaven. They were a zombie-killing machine that could not be stopped, and while driving down the highway after crashing through the front of the mall in Jimmy Gibbs Jr.'s car, Ellis glanced at the others after they had all fallen asleep and knew he couldn't trust any group any better.

All that aside, the group thought that other humans in the world, wherever they were, could at least be trusted for aid, even if CEDA hadn't been doing a good job of keeping people safe. They were sadly mistaken.

.

With another chop of his axe, the zombie was smashed to bits, and Nick was lucky enough not to get any on his suit. Not that it mattered anymore, because after crawling through numerous sewers and having to deal with Spitters and such, his suit was far past its expiration date.

To his left, Ellis whooped and hollered with laughter as a molotov he had thrown set fire to a small group of zombies, causing them to shriek in panic. With a few shots from a shotgun, they were all down, and the streets were quiet again.

The group was walking down the long stretch of highway after saying goodbye to their ride. Too many cars filled the streets, so they would have to walk the rest of the way on foot. With a heavy heart, Ellis and Coach said goodbye to their favorite stock racer's car, Ellis giving it a long hug before they continued down the street.

Rochelle was glad they had decided to pack a bag with them before they had left, stopping at a gas station on their way for food and drinks. Each member took turns holding it, as it was a heavy bag and combined with the long walk, it wore down on their tired feet.

"Hey, do you guys think this highway's going to have an exit soon? I'm getting pretty tired and I don't think it's safe enough to try and sleep in one of these cars," Rochelle asked the group.

"Well, now let's see here, we already passed 50 through 53, I think there's one more before the long stretch begins. I reckon we could stop there and find a safe house or somethin'," Ellis answered, turning his head and squinting to see if the last road sign was still in view.

"How long until we get there?" Nick asked next.

"Well it usually would take only ten minutes, but on foot I'd say about an hour or less," the rest groaned at Ellis' estimation.

"Well, how about we take a break, my feet are killing me. Nick, wasn't it your turn to start holding the bag five minutes ago?" Coach said, leaning against a nearby car and slipping the bag off to the ground.

"Yeah, but I hoped you'd forget," Nick chuckled as he pulled the bag over his shoulder as he leaned against the car opposite of Coach, laughing at the older man's face.

"We're lucky to not have run into many zombies, we need to conserve as much ammo as we can," Rochelle pulled herself up onto the hood of a car and leaned back, the cool glass windshield giving a nice feeling on her back.

"Hey! We might have just had a stroke of luck!" Ellis shouted and started waving his hands furiously down the street.

A large truck was approaching, easily dwarfing all the other cars and pushing them out of the way with ease. It was covered in blood and gore and looked a bit rough around the edges, but was still running just fine.

Ellis' grin grew at the sight of it. First Jimmy Gibbs Jr, now this beauty? If he got to see this many awesome cars because of the zombies, then he wished that it would've started sooner.

The truck slowed to a halt a few feet away from them and Nick and Coach shared a glance. The windows were tinted so they couldn't see who was inside yet, and something about the truck was off.

Ellis didn't seem to notice as he strode up to the car and offered a greeting. All four doors opened and four large men stepped out, surveying the ragtag group. The driver returned Ellis' greeting with a firm handshake and a question.

"Damn, I didn't know there were any other survivors other than us. Where did y'all come from?"

"Savannah. That place is overrun though, we think the last safe spot is in New Orleans so we're headed there. Where are you guys from?" Ellis said back.

"Alabama. We're headed to Florida ourselves, trying to steal a boat and head for sea, zombies can't swim that well, ya know?" The driver grinned and flipped up his shades. "Y'all got any supplies?"

Nick spoke up before Ellis had a chance to, saying, "What's it matter to you. We're both headed in opposite directions, so let's just go our separate ways."

The man laughed at that and put his hands on his hips. "C'mon now, son. No need to act that way. We're all friends here." Nick could tell his eyes were clearly staring at their bag, and he motioned to the others.

"We need to get a move on, we're trying to get to the next exit before the sun sets, so if you'll excuse us-"

The man pulled a gun on him and his companions followed suit, each training a gun on a different member of the group. Nick cursed himself for not readying his own weapon and glared into the barrel of the gun. Ellis backed up and put his hands up, Coach and Rochelle following suit as they watched with wide eyes as Nick and the driver stood off.

"Hand the bag over and no-one gets hurt, boy," The man said through his grit teeth.

Nick glared deeper into the gun and offered his best response, "Burn in hell, asshole."

To his credit, Nick wasn't immediately shot. The man simply grinned again and responded, "If that's how it's gunna be."

The driver slammed a fist into Nick's head and wrestled with him as he tried to take the bag. Rochelle snapped out of her stupor and used the time to pull out a gun of her own, the other two following suit.

Bullets fired as both groups ducked for cover and the two men beat against each other on the ground, trying to get the upper hand. Nick grabbed for his gun but it was wrestled out of his grip, and the heavy bag was restricting his movements.

Familiar noises from the side of the highway started and a knowing look took over their faces. With a new problem in mind, the driver pushed Nick to his side and used the bag straps to tie his hands, picking him up and popping him in the trunk with the bag.

"Let's get a move on, them limpers are comin'!" The driver shouted as he slammed the trunk shut with an angry Nick calling for help inside. A few more bullets fired off and the rest of them piled back into their car and took off back the way they came.

"Shit!" Coach took the lead and started to run after them with Rochelle. Ellis fired into the trees at a few oncoming zombies, starting to follow the truck with the others. The truck was already much faster than them all and Ellis racked his brain for an idea, his eyes landing on the best hope they had.

.

Nick fired curse after curse to the door of the trunk as he shifted in the small space. He knew this goddamn truck was going to bring trouble, he just _knew_ it. He fumbled with the straps on the bag, getting more pissed off by the minute. It should've been easy to untangle his hands, but his mixed anger and the darkness of the trunk was making things difficult for him. He got one of his hands free, the other still wrapped up in the bag, but it was something. He needed to get out of here, the men would surely kill him once they arrived to wherever they were going. He tried a few kicks, but the door was stuck tight. The men were laughing and carrying on in the cab of the car and spite fueled Nick to give the door a few more kicks, each just as successful as his first.

Jesus, it was hot in that car. Goddamn southern heat. Goddamn Alabama. Goddamn it all.

Gunfire rang from outside the car, and Nick jerked up in surprise. Who the hell was shooting?

.

Ellis had needed the others' help to rig the engine of the semi-truck, but once they got it rolling, Coach floored it. Ellis was honestly surprised it worked, or else he would have suggested they had do it earlier and avoid this whole mess, but it was too late for that.

The massive weight of the truck allowed them to breeze past anything in the way, including zombies, and the trio focused on the vehicle moving far in front of them.

They quickly gained up on their target, who didn't seem to notice they had a tail until the semi-truck was right on them. Rochelle fired through the window of the cab at the other car, blasting glass everywhere.

Both trucks swerved into each other and threatened to spin out of control. Coach was hesitant to ram the truck into the other in fear of hurting Nick in the process, but once the others started firing back, he didn't have a choice.

Metal ground against metal, sparks flying and tension high. With a few more well aimed bullets, Rochelle took out the driver, causing the car to drive off the road.

Coach screeched to a stop and cocked his shotgun, handing it to Ellis. Ellis blasted the head of the first person out of the car and Rochelle finished the other two, making sure that all the men were dead.

Coach grabbed the keys and wrenched the trunk open and Rochelle and Ellis ran up next to him to check on Nick.

Nick was sprawled on his back, holding a spot on his head that was bleeding. His hair was mussed from the bumpy ride and his signature scowl was etched on his face.

"You could have been more gentle," He growled, trying and failing to get out of the trunk.

The three laughed with relief, helping to pull Nick out. Rochelle grabbed a first aid kit from the coveted supply bag and went to work on his head.

"Damn Nick, I thought for a second there that we would have to keep going as a three man show," Ellis joked.

"Yeah, well lucky for me that's not the case," Nick responded with a flat tone.

Rochelle shook her head as she cleaned up the blood on Nick. "You'd think some people would at least act decent to each other."

Nick snorted at that, and muttered a quiet thanks when she was finished with the bandages.

The three looked at him expectantly as he stood to his feet, uneven and shaking slightly. He simply scowled and said, "What are you all waiting for? Let's get a move on." When their backs were turned and they climbed into the semi-truck, Nick smiled to himself. Yeah, he could trust them. But he was still angry that they hadn't tried to rig a car earlier.

.

Rochelle rolled her eyes as Ellis went on with his crazy story.

They were all worse for wear after having been in a helicopter crash, and landing in a swamp with zombies that came out of nowhere only added to their stress.

Nick began to get even more irritable than usual as Ellis went on about blood farmers, something about people who grew humans to kill and eat or whatever. Probably something that he made up or heard from his regularly mentioned buddy, Keith.

The bright red door of the next safe house was a beacon of hope for the group and they all got in without incident. The few rural buildings they had stumbled upon were already considered a blessing in the swamp.

They all settled into the safe house, barricading the door and checking out what supplies was available to them. A few health packs were untouched and extra ammo was spread across the table, so the group took the liberty to restock what little they had. They rationed out two cans of beef stew and laid back on provided cots. Not many safe houses had beds, and Nick made a passing comment on how the swamp had better supplies than the city, which made Ellis crack up.

Ellis had the first watch, so he leaned against the door as his three friends slept and kept his gun cocked. He was secretly glad that it was his turn to watch, because he had taken an adrenaline shot before they had made it to the safe house, and there wasn't any way that Ellis would be sleeping anytime soon.

He tapped his feet against the wall and tried to find something he could do to pass time. All was quiet outside, there were very few zombies wandering around the buildings outside, moaning and shambling in the thick mud. Ellis found himself wondering about Keith and his ma. He knew for sure that his mom was dead, he had been at the shop fixing up a car when he first encountered the zombies, and was forced to retreat to the roof as he watched his family and friends run from a horde of the undead. It was very unlikely any of them survived.

He wasn't sure where Keith was, but something told him that he was riding a four-wheeler with a machine gun mowing down the ugly bastards. That thought made Ellis smile. He was knocked out of his daydreaming when a small knock sounded from the other door of the safe house. Ellis shook his head in disbelief as he stared at the door, wondering if he was hearing things.

 _"_ _Hello?"_

A female voice and another small knock echoed in the room and Ellis walked towards the door and peeked out.

The outline of a small woman was backed up against the door, with an axe in her hands. She was looking away from the door towards a few zombies that started staggering towards her.

" _Shit_ ," She cursed under her breath. " _Is anyone in there? Please, let me in!_ "

Ellis hesitated, his own hand hovering above the bar across the door. After the incident on the highway, they had all promised each other that they wouldn't so easily trust people in the future, for safety's sake. Ellis looked over at the sleeping figures on the cot's and argued with himself whether he should wake them up or not.

" _How can I trust you_?" Ellis whispered through the door. The woman turned to look at him quickly before her gaze went back to the zombies.

" _I can leave my axe out here, I promise I don't have any more than that. Please_ ," The woman was pleading now, and she sounded close to tears. Ellis was looking frantically back and forth from his friends to the door, unsure of what to do. He had made a promise to his friends, but at the same time he was sure this woman was harmless.

With a heavy sigh, he took away the bar from the door and pulled the woman in with one motion, replacing the bar back the second she was inside.

He had pulled her in before she had time to leave her axe out, but she cast it aside in exchange for the cot against the wall that Ellis had unfolded for himself when his shift was over.

"Thank you kindly," she gave him a wide smile and noticed the others in the room. "Who are they?"

"Well, they're my friends. There's Rochelle, Nick, an' that's Coach," Ellis pointed each one of them out to her. "Ah'm Ellis."

"Lorraine," The woman held out her hand and he returned the shake.

"Well Lorraine, what are you doin' out here?" Ellis asked.

"I live out here, my house is actually a place where I collect survivors. I work for CEDA," Lorraine said, sitting back down on the cot.

"Woah, really? I would have never guessed it. Small world, huh?" Ellis exclaimed.

Lorraine chuckled and nodded her head, saying, "Yeah, especially now. I make stops at the towns around this area to look for survivors and extra supplies. I take the survivors to my place and call in a chopper to pick 'em up and take 'em to a safer place. Do you think you'd want to come along with me?"

"Ellis, sweetie, who are you talking to? Is it my shift yet?" Rochelle was rubbing her eyes as she sat up and looked around.

"Hey Rochelle, you'll never guess who I met!" Ellis said.

"Who's that, sweetie?"

"A CEDA worker. Meet Lorraine!"

Rochelle looked up and finally registered that there was someone else in the safe house. Her mouth was open in surprise and she couldn't get her next words out.

"What? Who? Ellis? Explain please?" Next to her, Nick and Coach stirred and sat up next.

"Well I was keepin' watch like I'm supposed to an' this little lady came up to the door, and she seemed trustworthy enough so I let her in and it turns out she works for CEDA. She said she's got a safe house out here and can call us a whirlybird to a CEDA sanctioned place!"

The three survivors looked at Ellis with various expressions, but Nick was first to speak up.

"Are you kidding me, Overalls? Don't you remember what happened last time?"

Ellis deflated a little. "Yeah, I know, but I think we can trust her," he answered.

"Ellis, goddammit, we made a deal. You should have woken us up before you let her in," Coach was rubbing his forehead in annoyance.

"I'm sorry, guys. She was getting' cornered by zombies outside an' she sounded really freaked out. My bad," Ellis scratched his head and gave them all an apologetic look before Lorraine stepped in.

"Don't you worry yourselves none. I can help y'all get a copter and head for the nearest CEDA station in a jiffy. If you're all fine with that, of course," she said.

Coach looked at everyone in the room carefully before he answered the woman.

Nick looked doubtful and a little angry, not that it was really any different from how he usually looked though. Rochelle locked eyes with Coach and shrugged, seemingly ok with giving the woman a chance. Ellis had a small smile on his face and seemed to think that the woman was telling the truth.

"Well, I suppose we need all the help we can get. We're in," Lorraine smiled at Coach's answer and looked relieved.

"I'm glad ya trust me. I promise I won't let y'all down."

.

The next morning everyone got up and followed Lorraine out to a truck on the edge of town. Nick stared at the rusty car in disdain, noting that its color was probably painted red from zombie gore.

"There's a path I take all the time that leads through the swamp. Sometimes it can be hard to get through when there's too many zombies, so I'll need you all to keep your guns loaded," Lorraine explained, pulling a set of keys from her pocket and unlocking the doors to the truck. "Climb on in."

The truck only had room for three in the cab, so straws were drawn and Coach and Ellis were stuck shooting zombies in the bed of the truck as they drove down a bumpy path. It was so overgrown it couldn't even be called a road, thick patches of mud almost got the tires trapped several times, and the zombies springing up from the ground almost caught the pair off guard.

Twenty minutes passed when the truck passed a gate, and a large farmhouse and barn roof were visible in the distance.

The truck's wheels found a more stable ground as the muddy swamp turned into compacted gravel. The automobile drove through a corn field up a driveway and parked in front of the house.

"We're here!" Lorraine called out. Everyone piled out and stared up at the house. One by one, their faces wrinkled in disgust.

"Ah hell, what's that smell?" Coach choked out.

"Is one of them smokers around? Hell, are there fifty smokers around?" Ellis added.

Lorraine simply laughed at them and pointed to the barn.

"Nah, my barn animals are in there. They've all passed, but I never had time to get rid of the bodies. That, mixed with zombie gore has created one hell of a knockout gas though. You get used to it," she shrugged and headed in, the others following with their noses plugged.

Inside, the house looked very average, but after not seeing any clean houses since the start of the apocalypse, it was almost magical for the four survivors. The floor looked clean of any dirt and none of the walls were caved in or graffitied.

"Come on in the kitchen, I know y'all are hungry," Lorraine's voice came from a room over and each member took one more appreciative glance before they left for another room.

Lorraine pulled some food out of the fridge and Coach almost cried with happiness. Hamburgers. Ellis slapped the older man on the back as he thanked the lord and laughed with him, Rochelle joining in.

"So, when's the chopper getting here?" Nick asked as Lorraine put the burgers on a plate and into the microwave.

"I need to contact 'em first, but they usually can get over here in about two days. I'll radio them after we eat," Lorraine answered.

"Burgers for breakfast, a helicopter, and Nick hasn't complained at all in the past hour. Somebody pinch me, I must be dreaming," Rochelle joked, and Nick rolled his eyes at the remark before leaning over to her to pinch her arm.

The rest of the day passed without incident, Lorraine excused herself while they were eating to call CEDA on the radio and then offered to look over the survivors in case they needed any medicine or bandages.

Nick wouldn't eat at first, giving the meat a close look and loudly pondering to the others how she got it if all her barn animals were dead, and he finally gave in when Coach slapped his arm and told him to shut his mouth.

When dinner came, Ellis glanced up at the ceiling of the kitchen and felt his jaw drop. Lining the ceiling were rows of huge kitchen knives of all sizes and shapes.

"Damn, woman! The hell you use those things for?" He said.

Lorraine turned to look at him and followed his gaze to the knives. She fidgeted slightly and stuttered out, "Oh, those things? Well, um… I use 'em to kill zombies. They work real well." She spoke fast and averted Ellis' gaze, turning to what she was cooking in the frying pan instead.

Nick walked in not a second later, sitting down on the barstool and immediately being bothered by Ellis, who seemed oblivious to Lorraine's behavior.

"Hey Nick. Look how many knives this woman's got!"

Nick barely looked up to where Ellis was pointing and got up from his seat instead, realizing his mistake of walking into the same room as Ellis when the kid was high on excitement.

The last thing Nick heard before exiting the room again was Ellis saying, "Man, if you didn't work for CEDA, I would've thought you'd be some sort of like blood farmer or somethin'."

Even though Ellis' stories were annoying, the thought bothered Nick and his mind found itself back on the food he had earlier. He had to shake the thought away and quietly blamed Ellis for the thought.

.

The survivors were all given separate rooms, which was awkward at first since they were so used to having one person keep watch.

Coach tossed and turned but he couldn't get to sleep. They had all worked out a schedule for what time and day each person would keep watch, and tonight was supposed to start with Coach.

He sighed as he sat up and listened to the outside. It was eerily quiet, no crickets or zombies made any sound at all.

He didn't want to check in on the others like some kind of concerned parent, but the silence of the house had him on edge. He couldn't even hear Ellis' snores from the next room over.

He got up and opened the door, looking down the hallway before pushing Ellis' door open. Halfway through opening the door, he realized that he had a grip on his pistol, something he didn't even remember grabbing.

Ellis' bed was empty. Ellis' room was empty.

So was Rochelle's.

So was Nick's.

Coach headed downstairs, calling out to his friends.

"Ellis!" He skipped a few steps and landed on the first floor. "Rochelle! Nick!"

The kitchen was empty, as was all the other rooms. Upon checking the last room, everything came crashing down on Coach. There wasn't a radio anywhere at all in the building.

"Shit," he cursed, wrenching the front door open.

He skimmed the land for anything. The truck was still there, so no-one had driven off. The terrible smell hit him again, and he looked over at the barn. A small light illuminated through the spaces between each wooden board.

Coach ran over, finding the door slightly open already. He peeked inside and almost threw up from what he saw.

His friends were tied up in thick ropes, unconscious, Coach hoped, hanging like meat from large hooks on the ceiling. A ribbon and white cloth covered their noses and mouths. Piles of bones and pink flesh were everywhere, and a large steel machine was in the center of the room. A thick pool of blood covered the entire floor like a carpet.

Coach opened the door the rest of the way and headed over to his friends. A fourth, empty hook was situated with the other three occupied ones, likely waiting for himself. As he got to bringing them down, starting with Rochelle, the sound of a gun being loaded came from the other side of the machine.

Coach pulled his pistol and aimed it towards the object.

"You're one sick freak, you know that?" He called out. "What the hell are you planning to do to us?"

The machine started up in response, the sound of gears turning and thick sawblades spinning at the mouth of the machine. Lorraine stepped out from behind it with her own gun drawn.

"Sometimes," she started, "You get sick of eating the same old things over and over again. Sometimes you need real meat instead of goddamn rotten animal flesh. Zombies don't taste too good either."

She had a disgusted look on her face, but it quickly changed to a smile as she spoke up again.

"You'd understand, Coach. After all-"

She was slowly walking towards Coach, both with their guns still out in front of them.

"Those burgers we had earlier were pretty good, right?"

She used that chance of shock to fire her gun as Coach took in what she said. He leapt out of the way just in time, rolling across the floor to the other side of the room. Lorraine fired again and held her ground near the hostages.

She took another shot as Coach tried to stand and fire his gun. The bullet hit its mark in Coach's leg and knocked him down.

Satisfied, Lorraine grabbed Ellis by his legs and yanked him down from the hook, dragging him with her as she climbed up the machine. A bullet ricocheted of the machine next to Lorraine's head and Coach stood to his feet, favoring his left side.

Lorraine abandoned Ellis, tossing him to the ground as she fired another bullet of her own. The bullet went over Coach's shoulder as he rushed over and tackled Lorraine, knocking her into a particularly nasty pile of flesh. They fought on the ground, Coach getting in three good hits with the handle of his gun before Lorraine took a large kitchen knife from her belt and tried to stab Coach.

He blocked her arm and grabbed the knife from her hands, stabbing it directly into her chest. She took in a large gulp of air, her eyes wide. She collapsed on him and died instantly, blood staining the front of her chest.

Coach threw the corpse off of himself and rushed over to the others, the hum of the machine still going strong. He picked Ellis up from the ground, the boy's back half stained with the blood on the barn floor, and used the knife to cut the rope away. He pulled the other two down and did the same, pulling away the white clothes that smelled of chloroform, a word that didn't come to him until much later.

He found a switch for the machine, turning it off as to not attract any zombies with the loud noise. He didn't want to look at the thing, at anything in the barn. He wondered to himself how many people must have died to this woman, and kept staring at the large blades of the meat grinder.

He picked everyone up in his arms and took them back to the house, setting them on the couches and chairs and watching over them until morning, promising himself that they would come up with a better rule for meeting other survivors.

.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. _It wasn't supposed to be like this._

Rochelle kept repeating the phrase in her mind, over and over until each word became redundant.

The government was supposed to be helping people survive. That was what everyone was told. That was what Rochelle told herself, no matter how many times the graffiti that plastered each safe houses' wall told her otherwise. CEDA kills carriers, CEDA killed my family, CEDA are carting us like animals, they were all lies, they had to be.

The protective shell that kept those thoughts out crumbled when she and the others were lined up against the wall, guns aimed at their foreheads. Four lasers moved up their bodies and rested on their heads, waiting for the go to kill. The words scum and diseased almost seemed visible on the soldiers' minds and mouths. The only thing they were to the government was a problem, a worthless carrier.

Nick tried to act tough. For the first time since the apocalypse started, he had a straight face on, no more hateful stares to give. He felt empty, waiting for death to come. They had come this far only to be killed, and he knew deep inside himself that he should have expected this.

Coach was empty. His face showed that he wasn't in the present at all, instead deep in his mind thinking back on everything he had done in his life. His family before the apocalypse and his new-found family raced across his mind as he unlocked the chest of emotions in his heart and felt the warmth of happiness and the chill of depression take over.

Ellis was crushed. His face held a look of utmost sadness, betrayed by his only hope for his future. He glanced at the others, desperately trying to catch their gaze, but none of them could look each other in the eyes. This was the end.

Rochelle remembered the helicopter, the first evacuation zone she went to where she met her friends, and she was angry at herself. That really should have been the first sign. She should've put two and two together. Everything, from the abandonment to the graffiti to every destroyed evacuation zone, should have told her that CEDA was nothing that they could trust to survive.

A man on the right held up his hand and began the countdown.

 _Five._

Unconsciously, Rochelle took Ellis' hand into her own, and saw that he had taken Coach's, who grasped firmly with Nick's hand on the end.

 _Four._

Nick wasn't sure how he wanted to die. Should he die looking his murderer in the eye? Should he look away, towards the only people he trusted throughout everything? He almost wanted to laugh at the thought. No-one should ever be in the position to ask themselves how they want to die.

 _Three_.

Ellis remembered Keith. He remembered his family. He wondered if he had any regrets in his life. Looking over at the others, he realized he felt more fulfilled with how he had lived than anyone in the world.

 _Two._

Coach shifted on his feet. His mind was screaming at himself to move, to knock the gun away from his family, to get in front of them and take the bullets himself. His whole body felt numb.

 _One._

The mighty roar of a tank filled the air and thundering steps shook the trees. The soldiers lowered their guns and aimed out into the forest, away from the concrete wall surrounding the CEDA safe house, away from the four survivors lined against the stone.

The soldier who had initiated the countdown, the sergeant perhaps, pulled out a gun of his own and ordered the other men to back up. He pulled a walkie talkie from his belt and spoke into it, inputting some sort of password and code. The courtyard was filled with light and soldiers came streaming up to the top of the wall, aiming at the forest.

The four let go of each other's' hands and finally made eye contact, silently agreeing to make a getaway while they still could.

The tank finally reached the edge of the forest and charged right towards the people on the outside, taking heavy gunfire as it tore towards them.

Coach and Nick pulled Ellis and Rochelle out of the way in time as the tank smashed directly into the concrete. A large crack appeared in the wall and several soldiers fell back from the force.

The four survivors ran full speed into the woods, stopping to look back at the growing chaos.

The soldiers on the outside were already smeared against the concrete, having been crushed to death against the wall. Panicked voices grew louder and an alarm was raised, helicopters on the roof visibly starting up.

The tank finally smashed through the wall and began wreaking havoc on the inside, people flying in the air and huge chunks of broken rock cracking against corpses.

The alarm brought out zombies from the woods and the survivors found themselves fighting off a few with their bare hands and several thick tree branches.

As Coach smashed a zombie's head into a tree trunk, he caught sight of Nick running towards the building.

"Nick! What the hell are you doing?" He yelled over the siren.

Nick's tired and angry look was back as he said over his shoulder, "I'm going to go get a goddamn gun."

Ellis grinned at that and turned to the others. "Hey, y'all think they got any tanks in there, I mean like actually military tanks? I mean, they sure do seem to have a zombie tank right now, but I've always wanted to ride in one of them big cannons before."

Coach and Rochelle shared a grin before the three followed Nick into the building, fighting zombies as they scavenged what they could from the bloody bodies.

As Ellis looked around at the others as he finally found a loaded and working gun, he knew they'd be ok. He could trust them all, until death do them apart.


End file.
